1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to the field of information handling system displays, and more particularly to a system and method for ambient light sensor testing.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Portable information handling systems have, in particular, grown in popularity among end users. Portable information handling systems have integrated displays and an internal power source, such as a battery, so that end users may carry the system around while the system is operating. Portable information handling systems that interface through wireless networks allow end users to carry their office virtually anywhere. Since portable information handling systems are easily carried by an end user through different types of lighting environments, the systems typically include an interface to allow the end user to adjust display brightness. For instance, the key combination of function and up arrow increases display brightness while the key combination of function down arrow decreases display brightness. Generally, a plurality of brightness adjustment steps are available with each manual increase or decrease resulting in a step up or a step down of brightness. However, manual adjustments to brightness are often inconvenient for end users, especially where two hands are required while the end user is carrying the portable information handling system.
Ambient light sensors provide an automated way to adjust display brightness for varying external lighting conditions. Ambient light sensors measure the external light conditions and adjust the power to the display backlight to brighten the display when external lighting becomes more bright and to dim the display when external lighting becomes more dim. Automated brightness control allows an end user to continue using a portable information handling system as ambient lighting conditions change with minimal disruption to the presentation at the display. Displays having brightness automatically managed with an ambient light sensor avoid “over-bright” conditions which increase the stress on the backlight and more rapidly decrease battery power. However, including an ambient light sensor in a portable information handling system tends to increase the complexity of the manufacture of the system. For example, in order to test the operations of an ambient light sensor, a calibrated external light source, multimeters and user interaction are typically needed to determine whether the ambient light sensor is active and responding correctly. Such testing is time consuming, labor intensive, cumbersome and not easily performed out side of a laboratory, such as at an end user location.